Being an NPC Is Great

"Damn eight a.m. classes, waaah~"

Li Miao yawned, casually tossed his book onto the desk, and flopped onto his bed.

He seriously suspected he had some bizarre condition where he got sleepy the moment class began. It had started in high school, and somehow it still had not gone away even in college...

Terrifying.

He had originally planned to catch up on sleep after returning to the dorm, but after resting for a while, Li Miao suddenly felt energized again.

With that thought, he flipped over and grabbed his VR helmet, putting it on.

Hehe, this was still the best. He could rest and play games at the same time. What a sweet deal...

Spirit Candle... activate!

Light gradually emerged from the darkness.

Li Miao appeared before the Spirit Candle once more and was about to get to his feet when he suddenly saw wax rapidly spread from the candle ahead, gathering into the tall figure of the Candle Keeper.

"...Newborn flame, thank you for your efforts lately."

"You are now a qualified Candle Spirit Warrior."

"Now, I would like to ask you to do something. I wonder if you have the time."

Rogue gave him a slight nod and spoke in a deep voice.

As he spoke, he discreetly drew upon the power of the Spirit Candle.

[Because you have recently eliminated a large number of monsters, the Candle Keeper's recognition of you has slightly increased, triggering a special quest.]

[You may choose to accept or decline this special quest.]

[Attention! This quest can only be triggered once per person!]

Li Miao was initially a little confused, unsure what the Candle Keeper wanted.

But when he saw that glaring notification, even with a different font color, his eyes immediately widened!

A hidden quest!!!

As an experienced gamer, Li Miao knew full well how valuable something like this was!

"Yes! Yes! Absolutely!"

"Tell me what it is! I'll give it everything I've got!"

Li Miao shouted excitedly, terrified that one careless mistake might make him miss this hidden quest.

This was a hidden quest that could only be triggered once!

Seeing Li Miao like this, Rogue could not help but feel like laughing inside.

Being an NPC really was useful!

Naturally, he did not show it on his face. He still wore that calm, weathered expression. "The Poison Mist Birds on the island have been acting strangely lately. I hope you can eliminate as many of them as possible."

"If you can collect ten Long-winged Poison Feathers from Long-winged Poison Mist Birds during this process, bring them to me."

With that, Rogue offered no further explanation. His figure gradually faded, turning into wax that gathered back into the Spirit Candle, fully displaying an NPC's aloof demeanor.

[Special quest accepted—Poison Mist Bird Disturbance.]

[Requirement One (Main): Eliminate as many Poison Mist Birds as possible within three days.]

[Quest Reward: ?]

[Requirement Two (Secondary): Collect ten Long-winged Poison Feathers (Can be abandoned)]

[Quest Reward: ?]

Li Miao had never found two question marks so endearing!

He could practically see top-tier equipment and generous rewards waving at him!

"Poison Mist Birds, huh?"

"This young master is fucking coming for you!"

Li Miao instantly erupted with boundless fighting spirit. With an angry roar, he rushed out of the cave in a frantic hurry.

"..."

Inside the Spirit Candle, Rogue watched Li Miao charge off as if he had been injected with chicken blood, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

Before coming to this world, he had played plenty of games. He had a rough idea of what players wanted.

In truth, this so-called "special quest" was only secondary.

Rogue's main goal was to send the players a message through Li Miao—so long as they worked hard to kill monsters, they might raise the Candle Keeper's favor and receive hidden quests!

That way, a monster-hunting craze would naturally arise among the player base, and the amount of wax he gained from the players would rise accordingly...

Of course.

Rogue had no intention of getting something for nothing. If Li Miao performed well in this quest, he would not mind giving the kid some nice rewards...

After all, the stronger the players became, the more wax he would gain...

Not long after Li Miao logged in.

Yuanfang logged in shortly afterward and likewise received a special quest from the Candle Keeper.

However, compared to Li Miao, Yuanfang was much calmer and not nearly as excited.

The Candle Keeper really does have a hidden standard for favor...

Yuanfang thought to himself.

His quest was the same as Li Miao's: kill Poison Mist Birds and obtain ten Long-winged Poison Feathers from Long-winged Poison Mist Birds.

Thus, the two soon met at a gathering spot for Poison Mist Birds.

When Yuanfang arrived, Li Miao was being pecked by a flock of Poison Mist Birds and rolling all over the ground. He was covered in wounds and looked quite pathetic.

Without saying a word, Yuanfang summoned his Bone Fork. After a running start to build up momentum, the Bone Fork flew from his hand, carving a sharp white streak through the air.

Bone Fork Throw!

Whoosh—

[You have killed a Poison Mist Bird.]

[You have killed a Poison Mist Bird.]

After precisely piercing through one Poison Mist Bird, the Bone Fork did not lose momentum and went straight through another.

One fork, two birds!

"Yuanfang!" Still rolling around, Li Miao was overjoyed to see the familiar figure.

"Bro Miao, same as usual. You pull the mobs."

Yuanfang did not waste words and spoke directly.

Then, relying on his swift speed, he quickly retrieved the Bone Fork.

Li Miao nodded hard, then brandished his blade and rolled at opportune moments, relying on his durability to firmly hold the flock of Poison Mist Birds' aggro.

The two had worked together for a long time, so their coordination and proficiency needed no explanation.

Whether the Poison Mist Birds had been weakened by Anchor Island or were simply weak to begin with, they were as fragile as paper, and their attacks were not particularly strong.

The only troublesome thing for the two of them was their ability to fly.

Li Miao was cumbersome, while Yuanfang's attack range was short. Before, this problem would have been quite difficult to solve.

But after Yuanfang learned the combat skill Bone Fork Throw, the problem was easily resolved. Yuanfang's accuracy was also extremely high.

Thus, the only thing limiting them was how troublesome it was for Yuanfang to retrieve the Bone Fork...

Before long, the two thoroughly cleared out a wave of Poison Mist Birds.

Yuanfang did not rush to kill a second wave. Instead, he called Li Miao over, and the two exchanged information about the special quest.

"...Looks like this quest isn't all that rare. Once the Candle Keeper's recognition reaches a certain level, it should be triggered."

Yuanfang said.

Hearing this, the heat in Li Miao's heart cooled somewhat, but he still looked forward to it greatly. After all, they had no other quests to do right now.

"Who knows when the new map will open..." At this point, Li Miao smacked his lips. "Good thing we can still fish for entertainment. Otherwise, killing monsters all day would be a little boring."

Yuanfang did not care much about that. Instead, he said thoughtfully, "The importance of the Candle Keeper NPC is beyond doubt. We should do this quest properly and raise our favorability a bit."

Li Miao strongly agreed and immediately moved to get up. "Then let's keep going!"

But Yuanfang grabbed him at that moment. "Don't rush."

"Let's make some preparations first."

"Otherwise, that Long-winged Poison Mist Bird might be difficult to deal with."

As he spoke, Yuanfang pointed at the Merman Bone Fork in his hand.

"Oh..." Li Miao was no fool and immediately understood what he meant. He could not help but chuckle. "Time to bully the Fishman bros again..."

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Thanks to reader "Laozi Xiaotan" for the tip. Thanks, boss!